Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki’s new movie The Boy and the Heron, which has premiered in theaters on December 8, 2023, under the production of Studio Ghibli, tells the story of a young boy named Mahito following the loss of his mother during the Pacific War as he discovers a ruined tower. This movie has also won a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture in 2024.

In the words of contributor Dario Galassini, “Guided by a peculiar grey heron, Mahito enters and explores the tower – from the inside, it looks somewhat between an old ruin, an immense library, and a magician’s sanctuary. The portal leading to the library bears the inscription ‘fecemi la divina potestate,’ a Dantean quote from the inscription over the gate of Hell (Inf. III, 5), implying that the tower was not built by men but rather by the divine. Through this portal, the adventures of Mahito unfold as he later accesses an underworld of sorts.”

For more information about the film, see the reviews on Letterboxd and Metacritic.

Contributed by Dario Galassini.